New food guidelines from the Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments say people need to drastically reduce their daily salt intake to reduce the risk of diseases such as high blood pressure and stroke. Here's how:

--Read nutrition labels closely and buy items labeled low in sodium.

--Use little or no salt when cooking or eating.

--Consume more fresh or home-prepared foods and fewer processed foods, so you know exactly what they are eating.

--Ask that salt not be added to foods at restaurants.

--Gradually reduce sodium intake over time to get used to the taste.

The recommendations issued today say people 51 and older, African-Americans of all ages, and anyone suffering from hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease should reduce daily sodium intake to little more than half a teaspoon. For everyone else, the government continues to recommend about a teaspoon a day - 2,300 milligrams.

The assault on salt is aimed strongly at the food industry, which is responsible for the majority of sodium most people consume. Most salt intake doesn't come from the shaker on the table; it's hidden in foods such as breads, chicken and pasta.

Other recommendations in the guidelines are similar to previous years -- limit trans fats, reduce calorie intake from solid fats and added sugars, eat fewer refined grains and more whole grains, consume less than 300 milligrams per day of cholesterol. The guidelines also recommend eating less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fats -- full-fat cheese and fatty meats, for example.